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I have started a raised bed garden project in my community. We have used legs and bottoms to make some of these accessible to people with mobility problems such as elderly gardeners now living in senior housing. I am running into a lot of flack about how the gardens are NOT DEEP ENOUGH and we need to put DIRT in them. HELP! I asked what was in "dirt" that was not in Mel's Mix other than weeds? There are compost materials, structure and minerals. Same, except in the correct quantities for intensive growth in a small space.

We run into the same problems gardeners of all kind encounter: garden pests, disease, drought or too much rain. But in the case of the raised beds it's never the fault of normal gardening problems it's always it's not deep enough or there's no "dirt" in it. Help please! How do I convince people we are doing the right things and gardening is a gamble in the best of years but worth it. I'm trying to reduce food insecurity by teaching people, especially those on fixed incomes like the elderly, that they still have some control over their food budgets by growing their own healthy food like they used to in gardens in their yards in the ground. I'm very afraid this will not happen if I can't get over this hurtle.

Any suggestions other than praying for bumper crops? Any ideas would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Regina, Post the number of plants in each box to show the high density MM supports compared to the number of plants in the dirt box. The amount of water each needs. Fertilizer requirements. Weeding requirements. The same things that Mel stated that made YOU a believer.

Take two sets of seeds. Plant one set in SFG using MM. Plant the other set in normal "dirt".

Water and tend to both areas the same if possible. Where differences arise, maybe due to excessive drainage of sandy soil, additional water is needed. Or encroaching weeds required spraying plant-control liquids, which increased costs. Those additional resources increase overall cost of the produce.

Also, the produce grown in MM should grow faster, healthier, and spawn more fruiting opportunities. i.e. let the method prove itself if you are not able to convince them with words.